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145 sats \ 12 replies \ @quark 22 Oct 2023 \ on: Meta Econ Takeover Day 6 meta
Solar is currently the cheapest energy source in history.
It's not the cheapest electricity source though.
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Why do you say so? 🤷
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Because, oil, coal, natural gas, nuclear, geothermal, and hydro are all cheaper sources of electricity than solar.
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I can't tell if you are serious or just trolling
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Keep in mind that selection bias heavily favors solar, since it's only installed in the most suitable locations. That means expanding it is going to lead to worse cost profiles (more in line with the upper end of the box-and-whisker plots).
Also, petro fuel costs have to incorporate many arbitrary costs associated with government efforts to reduce its use.
However, I might have been wrong about geothermal.
Consider in the future, 1) you might be wrong and 2) someone might disagree with you in good faith, so you don't have to assume bad intentions on their part.
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That report is from 2020
a quick web search about the topic gives results everywhere about how solar and wind are cheapest sources of energy.
Even if it is not the cheapest right now in 2023, the cost will keep going down, and fossil fuels will keep going up.
Also, there are other costs associated to fossil fuels, like destruction of the environment, so if there is no habitable planet to live, I would say the cost is pretty high.